


Twelve Hours

by CapnShellhead



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: Angst, Civil War (2015), M/M, Mentions of Prostitution, Pining, Post-Civil War (Marvel), Truth Serum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-20 06:29:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17617274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapnShellhead/pseuds/CapnShellhead
Summary: President Stark is caught inside the Blue territory. Distrustful of his motives, the Captain resorts to less than honorable methods to ensure Stark tells the truth during his interrogation





	Twelve Hours

**Author's Note:**

> Last square for Stony bingo!
> 
> For the "truth drug" square on my bingo card.

_ Six hours _ .

The Blue soldiers forced Tony roughly the metal chair before slamming the door shut and locking him in.

This was some sort of interrogation room. Or, it was intended to be, what with it being the former breakroom in a long-abandoned Wal-Mart. From what Tony had glimpsed of the Blue, they made do with what they had “inherited”.

Streets overgrown and deserted, strip malls full of shops that had been boarded up and looted. Whatever citizens resided here, they were all clustered around the few bustling areas with running power. The Iron called them “Hot Spots” because they had a finite lifespan before the resources would die out, cities would disperse and the people would collect and cluster someone else.

Blindfolded and sweating, the ride here had been more than a bit frightening as the jeep encountered pothole after pothole, maneuvering around the large, gaping craters with the ease of someone who took this path daily. Eight years and the entire west coast of the United States of America had become a wasteland.

Tony would almost sympathize with Steve if he hadn’t been partially responsible for running it into the ground.

Were this the Iron, Tony’s men would have been legally required to offer him food and water. Having detained him over six hours, the Iron would have been required to offer him a lawyer, as well. Apparently, there were no such laws here. Perhaps the “Captain” planned to starve him into cooperation.

No matter, Tony could be patient.  

 

 

_ Eight hours. _

The chair was stiff and uncomfortable. There was absolutely nothing to look at short of staring at the jagged crack along the far wall and wondering what had caused it. Tony began to squirm, his mouth dry, lips cracked. Still no sign of Steve.

Perhaps he thought Tony beneath him now.

 

 

_ Eleven hours _ .

Tony had finally been offered water. The soldier tasked with retrieving it dropped the paper cup through a slat in the door. Tony watched the stain spread across the floor.

His daughter had been detained in Prison 42.

 

 

_ Twelve hours _ .

Twelve hours passed before Steve finally showed up.

Dressed in faded fatigues, he appeared larger than Tony remembered. He’d barely aged, but Tony knew that face better than anyone. The war had worn on him. He wore his blond hair a little longer than the used to, as if he hadn’t had the time to get it cut. Tony remembered when he used to cut it for him. Steve was grizzled, five o’clock shadow making his blue eyes stand out even more.

Striding in, back ramrod straight, he rested his hands on his hips as he stared Tony down. By this point, Tony was dehydrated, his stomach had begun eating itself and he would very much like to leave. But Tony wasn’t’ asking Steve for a damn thing.

“Stark.”

“Captain,” Tony drawled, leaning back in the chair.

The door opened and a woman in a lab coat entered, hovering by the door. She snuck a few glances at Tony before glancing away nervously. Almost as if she was frightened of him.

“Are you going to make things difficult?” Steve asked, raising his chin.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you going to tell me what I want to know?”

Tony’s temper started to flare but he kept his face controlled. “I am President of the United States.”

“You are president of an overly regulated sham of the United States.” His jaw tensed as he cut himself off, focused on the wall above Tony’s head. “Answer me. Are you going to tell me what I want to know?”

“If you’re asking me to compromise my people—”

“I wouldn’t ask you to do something you did eight years ago, Stark.”

Always “Stark”, as though he’d never known Tony by any other name. “I’m not giving up any secrets you can use to hurt my people.”

Steve studied him for a quiet moment before turning to the woman with a nod. She opened the door and two soldiers burst in. Stiffening, Tony reared back as one of them reached seized his left arm. Tony jammed his elbow in the face of the one on his right, rising up quickly. Cursing, the injured soldier reached for his right arm, the one on the left gripping Tony’s chin in a vice grip to hold him still.

Steve watched silent up until Tony let out a pained grunt, panting as he fought the arms around his body. “Don’t fight them.”

Adrenaline coursed through Tony’s veins, heart beating painfully fast as he was underfed and running on fumes. He kicked out, the table skidding forward with a loud screech. Slamming his heel into the right soldier’s instep, he launched off the table and tried to overbalance them. Finally, the soldier on his left got a grip on his throat, twisting his outstretched arm in such a way that any wrong movement would lead to broken bones.

The lab coat rushed over, her face worried and drawn. There was a needle prick as Tony let out a low whimper, eyes cutting to Steve’s face.

For a moment, just a brief second, Tony swore Steve’s eyes widened in response.

Then the moment passed and everything went black.

 

 

_ Fourteen hours. _

Tony awoke in a different room. Head pounding, vision swimming as he lifted his head and opened his eyes slowly.

It was dark, wherever he was. Reaching up to touch his bruised cheek, there was a loud clink as he took notice of the handcuffs locking him to a bar on the table. There was the sound of heavy boots on stone floor before a light flickered on in the distance. Tony had been brought to some sort of dungeon.

Steve was alone, still dressed in fatigues but he’d removed the jacket. Standing before Tony in army pants and a white t-shirt, he was just as intimidating as he’d ever been. Tony wondered if he ever wore normal clothes these days. If he still had the suit.

Or had it disappeared the moment Steve stopped believing in the country he’d served?

“Where’d you find this place?”

“I’ll ask the questions here,” Steve replied gruffly, pacing a few steps. As he walked, he massaged his left hand, pressing his thumb into the center. It was a nervous tick Tony had only ever caught him doing when he was feeling impatient.

“What you did back there was almost impressive.” His brows rose, his voice light. “Taking on two trained soldiers. Who taught you that?”

_ You did. _

“I’m not entirely helpless, you know?”

Steve continued to pace, his mouth a thin line. “I thought you had secret service men watching your back. Or did you lock them up, too?”

“My people follow the law. I know that’s a concept you don’t seem to understand, but—”

“A lap dog is still a lap dog.”

“And a stubborn ass is still an ass,” Tony replied lightly.

“Tell me, do you ever get tired of being president of nothing?”

“Do you ever get tired of fighting anyone and everyone that ever tried to help you?”

“And who would you be referring to?”

“Your friends!”

“My friends – my  _ real friends _ are all here! They came with me when you turned your back on me!” Steve shouted, his face flushed with anger and it was almost rewarding to see. That familiar thrill fueling the fire in Tony’s blood.

“You turned your back on your country!”

“When she turned her back on me!” he shouted, eyes bright and gleaming. Tony’s breath caught, heart beating fast in his chest as Steve straightened and backed away a few steps, trying to calm himself. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Who taught you how to do that back there? How to take on two fully trained soldiers?”

Sighing, Tony started to deflect once more. Then, the worlds spilled out in a rasp. “You did.”

Steve took it in stride, continuing to pace. “When?”

_ You remember _ , Tony wanted to say but the words came unbidden. “When Iron Man was out of commission, under investigation after being framed for murder. You taught me a few things. You said I was in pretty good shape and I said I played a lot of tennis.”

Tony warmed, remembering Steve’s hands on his body, guiding him into position. It was one of his fondest memories: Steve’s kind voice in his ear, his laugh, the fond praise in his tone when Tony got something perfect after a few tries.

“You lied.” Tony stiffened, the warmth falling fading away. Steve lowered his head. “I wanted you to be able to protect yourself.”

“You cared about me once.”

Steve’s mouth twisted in response. “Who was Avengers chairman when we disposed of the explosives in Calgary in ’94?”

“Hank,” Tony replied, more baffled than anything else.

“Who was our government liaison after Gyrich was pushed out?”

“Duane Freeman, but you know that,” Tony said slowly, an unsettled feeling seeping in.

“Are there any ways into or out of the Blue that aren’t posted on the international maps?” Steve asked firmly.

“Yes, there are four,” Tony replied as a chill shot down his spine.

“Where are they?”

Tony shook his head, pressing his lips tightly together but it was no use. Whatever this was, it filled him with a cloying heat, sweeping over his body, gradually growing more forceful as it pried his lips apart and begged him to speak. He tried to fight it but it felt so damn good to comply.

“One beneath a quarry in Arizona. One is a lesser known tarmac in northern Washington. One in a small crater in Kansas City. The last is in an abandoned mine in Colorado.” With the reveal came a rush of calm that left Tony euphoric and a bit sick with it. He started to panic, looking to Steve in accusation. “What did you do to me?”

“I asked if you were going to be difficult,” Steve replied coolly.

“Damn it, Steve, what the hell did you inject me with?” he demanded, standing as he pulled at the cuff around his wrist. A few inches from Steve, his breath quickened as Steve stepped in closer. That familiar scent settled over Tony, sweat and the soap Steve still used after all this time. It used to be comforting. Now, Tony was filled with a desperate need to get far, far away from here.

“I did what I had to do to protect my people. Now, be a good little lap dog and answer my questions.” His brow furrowed, tone firm as he asked, “Who was your inside man?”

_ I’m not telling you anything, _ Tony tried to say. Instead, “Tigra.”

“Who was your inside man in the Department of Justice? I know you had one. You were always one step ahead of them.”

“I didn’t have one.”

“You must have. You knew about the legislation.” Leave it to Steve to think Tony capable of lying to him under truth serum.

“The government is predictable. Every time a superhuman or a mutant destroyed a government building, someone tried to push a bill through.”

“But you knew specifics. You knew when to go to Peter,” Steve said, growing more passionate.

_ Please don’t ask me, _ Tony prayed. “The government was predictable.”

Steve cocked his head to the side. “Who was your man inside the senate?”

Grimacing, Tony tried to keep his mouth shut. Biting down, a groan escaping at the taste of blood. Steve moved in closer, eyes fierce and blue as they held Tony’s. “Answer me.”

Tony swallowed, his eyes starting to water. “Who was your man inside the senate?’

Tony’s vision swam, throat tightening as he fought to keep quiet. “This would go a lot easier if you would just answer my questions.” Steve lowered his voice, almost seductively. “This serum they concocted is rough stuff. It rewards you for your honesty and tears you apart from the inside if you try to fight it. I’ve seen men swallow their own tongues trying to plead the fifth. Just give in. It’ll feel so much better if you do.”

Tony shook his head, stomach turning as he clenched his eyes shut. “It’s been eight years. What do you have to lose?” Steve asked.

“Everything,” Tony let out in a sobbing breath, his lashes wet. “I have everything to lose.”

“Must be nice.” Tony looked to him, chest tight. Holding his gaze, Steve’s eyes were wide and honest. “It must be nice to have something left to lose.”

“Not always.” Tony licked his lips, his rasping out, “All of those people are counting on me. They need me.”

“I needed you,” Steve said plainly. “And look where it got me.”

“I tried to help you.”

“You tried to lock me up.”

“I tried to get you a fair trial, with due process and a lawyer. Which is a hell of a lot more than was granted to me here.”

“You trespassed on my land.” Tony’s mouth snapped shut. “Why? What was your end game?”

“Intel,” Tony bit out.

“For what?”

“A siege,” he bit out.

Steve froze, stepping back. “We were in peace talks.”

“They weren’t going to work. I know that. You knew that.” He swallowed, averting his gaze. “The truth is, I would have given anything to sit down with you and try to fix what’s been broken for far too long but I lost any hope of that working when you shook my hand and shut down my suit.” He tried reasoning with Steve. “Your people are starving. They need resources and you know damn well no one’s going to trade with the rogue leader of barren wasteland you call a home. MJ came to me, she  _ begged _ me to—”

“Who was your man inside the senate?” Tony let out a soft sound, bile rising in his throat. “Was it someone I knew?”

“No.”

“Someone I trusted?”

“No,” Tony replied miserably, curling his arm protectively over his stomach. “Please, Steve, don’t—”

“Who was your man inside the senate?”

“Senator Dickerson,” he whispered hoarsely.

Steve stared at him blankly. “I don’t know that name.” Tony stared at him silently, his eyes warm. “Why fight so hard to keep that a secret?”

“He sold me information.”

“What kind of information?”

“Names, dates, programs in the works. Everything they’d been keeping under wraps until they could find the right tragedy to capitalize on.”

Steve nodded, thinking this over. Then, “You said he sold you this?” Tony nodded. “In exchange for what?”

_ Please don’t – _ “Me.”

“You carried out missions for him?” Tony shook his head. “You gave him money? Technology?”

Tony’s eyes threatened to spill over as he turned away, his voice rough. “He would slip me information and, in exchange, he could do anything he wanted with me.”

A beat. Steve quietly asked, “What?”

“I sold my body in exchange for information. He would slip me files and I would meet him in his office, or his car, or a hotel room. Please don’t make me say any more,” he pleaded meeting Steve’s gaze.

Steve’s breathing quickened, eyes wide with horror. “Why would you do that?”

“What did I have left to bargain with? I didn’t have anything else he wanted. I did what I had to do.”

“You – you could have told me or – or gotten Jen involved. He abused his power.”

“I needed the information.”

“He used you!”

“So what?” Tony demanded. “So what, Steve? I used every resource I had, I gave every inch of my body and sold what was left of my soul because there was nothing I wasn’t willing to do to keep you all safe. And it backfired and I lost what few friends I had left. And at the end of all of it, it was worth it because you’re alive and standing in front of me. Not torn apart, dissected and being made into something you’re not!”

“You should have come to me! I could have helped you!”

“You never listened! You hear what you want to hear and you don’t have room for anything else.” Softly, he added, “I came to you in the mansion. I tried to bring you in and we fought in the remnants of our home. I did everything I could and we still ended up here.”

Breathing heavily, Tony watched as Steve turned around, his back ramrod straight. “I loved you.” His voice softened. “Even when we fought.”

Tony swallowed, his eyes spilling over. Steve finally turned and started towards the door. He paused, his hand on the wall. “Did you love me?”

He didn’t need to ask.

The door shut quietly behind him, leaving Tony alone in the empty room.  

  
  



End file.
